NASA has placed an order with Nikon for 11 units of its highest-end dSLR, the D3S, and 7 AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED lenses to bring to space for documentation efforts. Interestingly, none of these cameras or optics will require any modifications, which attests to the ruggedness and versatility of the company's shooters.

The dSLRs will be brought to the International Space Station, where they will join a host of other Nikon products such as the D2X, lenses, and other Speedlight external flash units.

This is the second consumer camera brand we know of this year to enter the vast expanse of space, with Olympus sending the E-3 beyond the stratosphere earlier this year with Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata.